-The Salukis are second in the MVFC and 32nd in the nation in total offense with an average of 435.1 yards per game.

-SIU has thrown for 19 passing touchdowns this season, the most since the Salukis set the school record with 28 passing touchdowns in 2007.

-Senior quarterback Kory Faulkner leads the conference and is 13th in the nation in total passing yards (1,727). He leads the MVFC and is 22nd in the nation in total offense (272.3 yards per game).

-Faulkner is the fifth quarterback in school history to surpass 5,000 passing yards for his career. He has thrown for 5,077 yards in his career.

-Faulkner is sixth in SIU history with 33 career touchdown passes. He is one TD pass behind former Pro Bowler Jim Hart, who had 34 career TD passes for the Salukis.

-With two touchdowns last week against UNI, Faulkner has now thrown more touchdowns through seven games this season (17) than he had thrown in 18 career starts (16) entering the season.

-Junior tight end MyCole Pruitt has 129 career receptions, third-most in SIU history. He is nine receptions away from moving into a tie for second place on the school’s all-time list.

-Pruitt is SIU’s all-time leader in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,645) by a tight end.

-Pruitt has 1,645 career receiving yards. That is fourth overall in SIU history, 164 yards behind third place Justin Roebuck.

-Pruitt is tied for the MVFC lead with 5.3 receptions per game, and junior wide receiver LaSteven McKinney is tied for fifth in the conference with 4.7 receptions per game.

-Senior wide receiver John Lantz and Pruitt rank third and fifth, respectively, in the conference in receiving yards per game. Lantz is averaging 76.1 yards per game, and Pruitt is averaging 72.3 yards per game.

-Pruitt has four touchdown receptions this season, matching his career high for a single season. He has 11 career touchdown catches, which puts him in a five-way tie for seventh place in school history.

-Pruitt has 506 receiving yards this season, 71 yards shy of matching his career high.

-Pruitt has recorded at least one reception in 14-straight games and 28 of the 29 games in his SIU career.

-Lantz has 533 receiving yards this year and is only 23 yards away from doubling his previous career best of 278 receiving yards in a single season.

-With 65 receiving yards against UNI, Lantz became the 21st receiver in school history to record 1,000 career receiving yards. He has 1,061 career receiving yards.

-Junior running back Malcolm Agnew is fourth in the MVFC with 86.8 rushing yards per game and sixth in the conference with 99.0 all-purpose yards per game.

-Agnew recorded his third 100-yard rushing game of the year with a 113-yard performance last week against UNI. He has 529 yards in six games and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

-Agnew has run for at least 97 yards in each of SIU’s four wins and been held under 60 yards in SIU’s three losses. He did not appear in the season opener against Illinois.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

-Last week against Northern Iowa, SIU won on an overtime fourth-down stop when senior linebacker Bryan Presume made the game-ending tackle. SIU’s last overtime win over the Panthers ended with a Saluki defensive stop on Oct. 9, 2010.

-Southern ranks second in the MVFC and fourth in the FCS in rushing defense, yielding 84.9 yards per game on the ground.

-North Dakota State leads the MVFC and is 21st in the FCS with 223.5 rushing yards per game.

-Last week against UNI, the Salukis held the Panthers to 37 rushing yards, the fewest rushing yards against SIU’s defense in 2013.

-In seven games, SIU’s defense has held opponents to under 100 yards rushing five times and under 50 yards three times.

-Southern has allowed at least 100 rushing yards in 23 of the 65 games Dale Lennon has coached at SIU.

-Southern has recorded a sack in 33 consecutive games and 46 of its last 47 games.

-SIU ranks third in the MVFC and is tied for 15th in the nation in total sacks (18). It is tied for 31st in the FCS with 2.57 sacks per game.

-SIU had a streak of 12-consecutive games with a turnover snapped last week at UNI.

-Southern has recorded at least 5.0 tackles for loss in 13 of its last 17 games and five out of seven games in 2013.

-Against UNI, Presume was the Salukis’ leading tackler for the sixth time in seven games in 2013, posting eight solo tackles in the contest.

-Presume has at least seven tackles in 14 of his 18 starts at SIU -- including all seven games in 2013.

-Presume ranks second in the MVFC and eighth in the FCS in total tackles (71).

-Presume ranks third in the MVFC and 20th in the nation in tackles per game (10.1).

-Presume (8.0 TFL) and junior outside linebacker Tyler Williamson (6.5 TFL) rank third and fifth in the MVFC in tackles for loss, respectively.

-Williamson has forced six career fumbles, tying him for the school’s all-time lead.

-Williamson is tied for the MVFC lead and tied for third in the nation with three forced fumbles this season.

-SIU has recorded an interception in four of seven games thus far in 2013. In 2012, the Salukis only had four games with an interception.

-After giving up 400 passing yards in consecutive games to open 2013, the Saluki defense has not allowed more than 276 passing yards in a game since.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

-Junior kicker Thomas Kinney has at least seven points in five of Southern’s seven games in 2013.

-Kinney’s longest field goal of the year was a 42-yarder against SDSU. His overall career best was a 45-yarder for Winona State in 2011.

-Kinney is tied for the MVFC lead and tied for third in the FCS in field goals made (11).

-Kinney leads the MVFC and is ranked fifth nationally in field goals attempted (15).

-Kinney is fifth in the MVFC and 33rd nationally in overall scoring with 8.3 points per game.

-Among kickers, Kinney ranks second in the MVFC and eighth in the nation in scoring.

-Kinney’s 11 field goals made are the most by a Saluki kicker in a single season since Kyle Dougherty set the school record with 19 in 2009.

-Kinney’s 11 field goals in 2013 puts him tied for 11th all-time at SIU in field goals made in a single season.

-Last week against UNI was the first time since the game against Charleston on Sept. 14 that SIU punted on its first two drives. SIU had not punted in the first half since facing SEMO on Sept. 21.

-Senior punter Austin Pucylowski pinned two more punts inside the 20 against the Panthers last week, pushing his season total to 12 in 2013.

-Pucylowski is tied for fifth all-time in career punt attempts (191) and ranks sixth in career punting average (39.70) and career punting yardage (7,668) at SIU.

-Junior wide receiver/return specialist LaSteven McKinney is tied for third all-time in career punt returns (53) and sixth in career punt return yardage (395) at SIU.

SALUKIS VS. RANKED TEAMS

-Under Dale Lennon, SIU is 6-8 at home vs. ranked teams compared to a 5-3 road record against ranked teams.

-Over the last two seasons, SIU has won three of its four games against teams ranked in the top 10 with the only loss coming at No. 3 North Dakota State last season.

-The Salukis have only hosted one top 10 team since Saluki Stadium opened at the start of the 2010 season. That one game was a 9-3 loss to No. 3 NDSU on Oct. 8, 2011.

FACING NO. 1

-SIU is 1-1 all-time against the No. 1 team in the country.

-The last time SIU played the No. 1 team, it defeated Western Kentucky on the road on Oct. 27, 2005.

-This will be the first time SIU hosts the top-ranked team since Northern Iowa came to McAndrew Stadium on Oct. 17, 1992.

SCOUTING THE BISON

-North Dakota State is off to a 6-0 start and has held the No. 1 ranking all season.

-The two-time defending national champion Bison have only played two road games this season. That includes a season-opening 24-21 win over Kansas State and a 20-0 shutout at then-No. 6 South Dakota State.

-NDSU leads the MVFC is total defense, surrendering 263.0 yards per game. The Bison are third in the conference in total offense, posting 422.3 yards per game.

SERIES NOTES

-Southern Illinois trails the all-time series, 4-3, and has lost the last three meetings. Each of the last two games have been decided by six points.

-The teams first met in 1963 and have played annually since 2008. NDSU has won four of five against SIU since 2008.

-Under Dale Lennon, the Salukis are 0-4 when facing a ranked NDSU team and 11-5 against all other ranked teams.

MISC. NOTES

-This is SIU’s third game in a stretch of three straight games against top 10 teams. The Salukis have won back-to-back games against top 10 teams for the first time in school history.

-Of SIU’s first six games against FCS opponents this season, five are against current top 20 teams, and four are against teams that have been ranked in the top 10 this season.